The present invention relates to an optoelectronic device, and particularly to a photodetector employing a sheet of graphene and methods of manufacturing and operating the same.
Two-dimensional carbon lattice structures include sp2-bonded carbon atoms that are densely packed in a hexagonal lattice structure. If the two-dimensional carbon lattice structure is topologically planar, the two-dimensional carbon lattice structure constitutes a graphene layer. A graphene layer absorbs and emits light across the entire range of the electromagnetic spectrum, and sustains high electrical current densities and extreme temperatures. Despite the superior performance potential of a graphene relative to silicon and group III-V semiconductor compounds in terms of such properties, formation of a compact optoelectronic device based on a graphene is a significant challenge because coupling between electromagnetic radiation and charge carriers of the graphene layer is relatively weak and because the charge carrier lifetime in a graphene layer is relatively short.